Based on the Roald Dahl novel, Matilda features a score by Tim Minchin and a Tony Award-winning book by Dennis Kelly.

Company
Manuel Harlan

Theatrical licensing company Music Theatre International (MTI) has made Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical available for licensing.

With a Tony-winning book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin (Groundhog Day), Matilda tells the story of a five year-old girl whose love of reading and active imagination puts her at odds with her family and the diabolical school headmistress Miss Trunchbull. Matilda discovers she has secret powers and uses them, with help from her beloved teacher Miss Honey, to restore justice to her world.

The musical received its world premiere in 2009 from the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, transferring to London's West End in 2011 and winning seven Olivier Awards (including Best New Musical) in 2012. The production transferred to Broadway in 2013, winning Tony Awards for Best Book, Featured Actor (Gabriel Ebert), Lighting Design (Hugh Vanstone), and Scenic Design (Rob Howell). The four young actors who alternated in the title role (Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon, and Milly Shapiro) were also honored with a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. The Broadway production closed in 2017 after playing 1,555 performances, but the West End production continues at the Cambridge Theatre with booking currently open through May 2020.

MTI announced that they would handle licensing for Matilda in 2016, though this release marks the first time the show has been made available for production by both professional and amateur groups.

"Matilda embodies every young person's dream to affect the world around them in extraordinary ways," shared MTI President and CEO Drew Cohen. "Tim Minchin's score and Dennis Kelly's book brilliantly bring to life Dahl's incredible characters and provide great opportunities for performers of all ages. The appetite for Matilda around the world has been tremendous for many years and it is not just a pleasure but truly a relief to finally have the show available for licensing."